


Horizon

by wrackwonder



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Sexy Times, Swimming, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-11 01:21:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15304293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrackwonder/pseuds/wrackwonder
Summary: Waverly is stronger than she knows. A short vacation with Nicole leads to some much needed clarity.





	Horizon

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Pre-Wynonna Earp Season 3 Day, Everyone! Except my fellow non-Americans....
> 
> Here's a little pre-season fic in celebration!

It was a rare and precious thing to wake up smiling. 

 

Waverly burrowed deeper into the blankets, flexing her toes against the cool sheets, and inhaling deeply as she stretched. Everything smelled like Nicole. Her laundry detergent. Her shampoo. It made the room feel like a safe cocoon, like a place Waverly could stay and sleep and feel unafraid. The smile widened.

 

She was alone in the bed, but it didn’t matter, because in addition to smelling Nicole, she also smelled the wafting scent of breakfast. Coffee, maybe something with cinnamon…it was all so different from the Homestead where a morning meal consisted of Wynonna’s leftover pizza from the night before and a yogurt cup if they’d remembered to go shopping.

 

Being an Earp meant a life of action, a life of constant danger, and it was rare to take a moment for something as mundane as picking up groceries. But Nicole Haught somehow balanced her life as a cop and her life as a human-being outside of work. She did her laundry and made her bed and ate vegetables regularly. Which meant that when Waverly stayed with Nicole, she was granted insight into the strange world of mature adulthood – or at least a temporary reprieve from the constant whirlwind that was the Homestead. 

 

Nicole had left an extra blanket on top of Waverly, a bonus blanket, and it was such a small gesture, but so incredibly kind, that Waverly couldn’t stay away from her girlfriend for another minute. She retrieved her robe from the floor and after a quick stop in the washroom, she nearly pranced down the stairs in search of Nicole. Who was in the kitchen. Cooking. And singing. 

 

Nicole stood in front of the stove in a pair of boxers and a loose t-shirt and Waverly’s smile grew impossibly bigger. A pancake flipped in the air and Nicole bent her knees and caught it with a skillet in one hand, all the while softly singing to herself, half-remembered phrases from an old song. 

 

“ _When your baby, leaves you all alone, and nobody, call you on the phone…_ ” 

 

There was bacon resting on a plate next to Nicole’s elbow and a pot of coffee brewing on the counter and Waverly wondered if she could have this, if _they_ could have this. The calm, normalcy of a morning spent together. The peacefulness of breakfast, the way Nicole’s sleep-tossed hair looked so soft…Waverly was scared to even wish for such a thing. 

 

“Whose baby is leaving? She said instead, biting her lip when Nicole startled slightly. 

 

“Not mine, hopefully,” Nicole responded with a wink, flipping the pancake onto a plate where a small stack was growing. 

 

“You making me breakfast?” Waverly reached for Nicole’s hips and curled her arms around Nicole’s waist. She squeezed and inhaled, unable to hide the fact that she was smelling her girlfriend. It made Nicole laugh. 

 

“I am, hope you like blueberry pancakes.”

 

“I _love_ blueberry pancakes,” Waverly said, never letting go of Nicole’s hips. Nicole turned in her arms, swaying a little, before pulling Waverly even closer, resting her forearms over Waverly’s slim shoulders. 

 

“Are we dancing?” Nicole asked and Waverly nodded, pleased with herself when Nicole tipped her head back to laugh. 

 

_Don’t you feel like crying, don’t you feel like crying…_

 

“Such a sad song though,” Waverly said, but Nicole didn’t break her smile.

 

“Baby seduced Johnny Castle with this song. It’s not sad. It’s _hot_.”

 

Waverly couldn’t argue with that one. 

 

“Yes, very hot, _Haught_ ,” she said instead and Nicole nodded, playfully leaning in so she could kiss Waverly’s cheek.

 

“Hey, while I’ve got you to myself, there’s something I wanted to ask you?” Nicole’s voice came from the vicinity of Waverly’s ear, but Waverly knew her girlfriend was suddenly nervous. Which made her nervous. Because this could be anything from moving in together to going out for dinner next week to, well,much, much more…

 

“Oh?” Waverly asked, sounding much more casual than she felt inside. 

 

Nicole stepped away from Waverly’s arms and quickly pulled open a drawer in the kitchen. She didn’t search for very long – Nicole was notoriously well organized – and when she turned to Waverly again she was holding a small, rectangular folder in her hand. She passed it to Waverly and then took a step back, as if seeking cover from Waverly’s reaction.

 

With only slight hesitation, Wavelry tore her eyes from Nicole and looked down at the slim item in her hand. She opened it and felt the smile forming before she even fully read its contents.

 

“Are these plane tickets?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“To Mexico?” 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Oh my God, Baby! We’re going to Mexico?” Waverly launched herself at Nicole, pulling her into a tight hug and she snorted when she felt all the tension leave Nicole’s body.

 

“I mean, if you want to go?” Nicole still seemed a little hesitant, looking down at Waverly who was nearly vibrating with excitement.

 

“Of course I want to go!”

 

“Yeah? Because I was thinking of surprising you and just dashing off to the airport, but I figured you’d need some time to think about it? And get shots, maybe? And a cute bikini, I mean, if you want to?”

 

Nicole had lied to Waverly about the DNA results. And then Waverly had kissed Rosita. And while they had said their sorries, Nicole was obviously a little unclear about how much space to give Waverly. She obviously wanted Waverly to feel that she was in control of her life, of her own decisions, but it made Waverly sad to think that something wonderful like this, something so special, could be tainted by Nicole’s worry over Waverly’s reaction.

 

“Nicole, this is amazing. You’re amazing.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Hell yeah,” Waverly answered before grabbing Nicole by the collar and pulling her close. Their lips almost touched, but Waverly playfully pulled back when Nicole tried to kiss her. 

 

“So, bikini?” She asked, sensing Nicole’s confidence return when her hands squeezed Waverly’s waist. 

 

“Uh huh.”

 

“A little one?”

 

“Y…yes.”

 

“Something flimsy, maybe?”

 

And then Waverly couldn’t tease anymore because Nicole’s mouth had found her neck. That perfect mouth. Hungry. Unrelenting. And so completely hers. 

 

~*~

 

Waverly liked to think of herself as worldly. She’d taken numerous online courses in ancient languages, anthropology, cultural studies, and world religions. She watched multiple documentaries a day. 

 

But she’d never left the Ghost River Triangle. 

 

It made her feel like a country girl in the big city. It made her feel a little less worldly than she wanted. And as she followed Nicole’s lead through the airport, she felt even more like a country bumpkin. She found herself hiding behind Nicole’s shoulder, confused by the signage and the endless gates and the nearly indecipherable announcements.

 

Except when they finally boarded the plane, when it was finally time to leave, Nicole insisted Waverly take the window seat. And then Nicole presented her with trail mix she’d packed from home and a comforting hand to hold and Waverly settled in.

 

She watched the ground disappear. She watched as the plane soared above the clouds. And she remembered the old fairy tale her daddy used to read Willa and Wynonna. The story Waverly had memorized while crouching outside her sisters’ bedroom, wishing she was invited, wishing the story about Jack and his beanstalk was for her ears too. 

 

Waverly gazed out the window, looking for giants or magic beans. She squeezed Nicole’s hand. Nicole squeezed back. 

 

~*~

 

Maybe it was silly to cry over ruins. Maybe it was normal. Waverly couldn’t be entirely sure, but as she brushed her hand over the ancient stone, her eyes welled and her breathing became ragged. 

 

“Beautiful, hey?” Nicole stood beside her, quiet, watching with a look on her face that didn’t make Waverly feel silly. Instead, Nicole’s eyes showed awe and love and pride. They always did. 

 

“These are hundreds of years old, Nicole, but someone carved them. Someone touched them and now I’m touching them,” Waverly said, breathless.

 

Nicole’s hand was suddenly beside Waverly’s own, resting on the stone, and Waverly moved so their pinkies could touch. She felt so small. She felt like she was holding the secrets of the universe in the palm of her hand. She wondered if Nicole did too.

 

~*~

 

The jungle stretched out before her feet, lush, and warm, and impossibly dark. From her platform, Waverly could see tree tops, so green that she marvelled at the colour, as if it was her first time understanding what _green_ meant, what it could be, what it was. The air was alive against her skin, she could feel the earth breathe, the hum of it all vibrating deep in her bones. And it scared her.

 

“ _Señora, su turno_ ,” the man behind her had a friendly face, tanned from day after day in the sun, but the twinkle in his eye likely came from dealing with his share of frightened tourists. 

 

“I…umm…okay?” Waverly looked down at the harness around her hips and then up, to the thin, black wire stretching across the wilderness before her. Nicole had disappeared down the zip line moments before, fearless as she leapt, howling with laughter, but Waverly wasn’t quite so brazen. Logically she knew this was safe, but was she seriously supposed to jump? With nothing to catch her? Just…jump?

 

“E _s seguro, lo prometo_ ,” the man tried again and Waverly managed a half-smile for him. 

 

“¡ _Sí Sí! ¡Lo siento!_ ” Waverly swallowed hard and gestured to her face and then to the jungle and then to the harness. The man nodded, understanding her anxiety, and gave her a thumbs up. 

 

She had to jump by herself. She had to leap and trust that the straps would hold, that the harness was strong, and that nothing would emerge from the darkness to eat her up. The only demons lived within her, the only fight was her own fear, and the only way to see Nicole again was to jump.

 

So she did. 

 

Later that night, long after they’d returned to the city from their excursion, Waverly didn’t remember her screams that had turned into shouts of glee. She didn’t remember the smell of the air as she whipped by. She didn’t remember the crescendo of cicadas as she flew above the leaves. What she remembered was Nicole Haught standing on the opposite platform, arms open, laughter painted across her beautiful face.

 

What she remembered was that she had jumped alone and soared alone and landed in the arms of the woman she loved. 

 

~*~

 

The music pulsated, it shook the air, and Waverly could barely understand the lyrics, but she understood the meaning. It was old and primal and implied in the Spanish words and the omnipresent beat. She was surrounded by people who seemed to feel the same way, who seemed to understand, and they all danced and jumped and thrust to the music.

 

Waverly could feel the sweat in the air, she could feel the lust of hundreds of people, but as she held her arms above her head, eyes closed in abandon, she turned inwards, inhaling, filling her lungs with the danger and promise. The club was hypnotic, it was unlike any club she had ever experienced in the big city or in Purgatory. It was beyond Purgatory. It was hell. Or it was heaven. But she didn’t care. She just danced.

 

She let her body move, let herself be carried, and it felt like a drug, a slightly-out-of-control, coiled spring, as she breathed in rhythm with the swell of humanity around her. And when she opened her eyes, when she felt the vulnerability of that chaos, she reached out, brushing her fingertips against Nicole’s belt buckle, feeling it’s cool, solid presence against her skin. 

 

Nicole was caught up too. Swaying wide hips and bouncing with the music. Waverly watched her girlfriend’s body, she unashamedly stared at it, licking her lips and grasping her own hips. She wanted to touch Nicole, but instead she touched herself, her hands smoothing a path over her ribs and up, until they were airborne again. Nicole’s white tank top looked technicolour in the club lighting, pink and then blue and then purple. 

 

Sex was in the air. It was in the music. Waverly could sense the people around her, each lost in some ritualistic dance with themselves or their partner or the stranger they’d just met. Each time Waverly reached out for Nicole, she teased, knowing on some level that if she really held on, if she really curled herself around Nicole’s body, they would not be able to hold out, not with the way Nicole’s eyes looked black and hungry. Not in the way Waverly’s fingers brushed the belt buckle again and then brushed lower, hovering just over the zipper of Nicole’s black shorts. 

 

They were covered in sweat and buzzing with tequila and the song changed to something slow and pulsating. While the couples around them kept dancing and swaying and moving, Waverly and Nicole stopped. They stood inches apart, not touching, but still.

 

“We need to leave. Now,” Waverly said. 

 

Nicole nodded. 

 

~*~

 

They didn’t speak in the taxi or in the hotel lobby, where the concierge wished them a pleasant evening. They didn’t even look at each other in the elevator or touch or make any sudden movements. 

 

It wasn’t until Nicole opened the door to their hotel room, placed the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the handle, and turned the lock, that Waverly made her move. She grabbed the front of Nicole’s tank top and pushed, catching her girlfriend off guard.

 

“Wave, wha…?”

 

“Sit.” 

 

Waverly maneuvered Nicole into a chair and stepped back.

 

“Come here,” Nicole said sweetly, reaching out her hands to Waverly.

 

“No.”

 

“No?” The sweetness was gone, replaced with challenge.

 

“Hands on your lap.”

 

Nicole bit her lip, but complied, slowly lowering her hands until one rested on each thigh. The magic of the club still existed between them. Waverly could feel her blood, feel its heat, she felt as though if she reached out, if she really tried, she could stop the ocean tides with a snap of her fingers. But she wasn’t interested in the ocean, not when Nicole Haught was sitting so attentively before her. 

 

She took a step forward then, bending at the hips so she could reach Nicole’s face, and then she darted out her tongue, licking Nicole’s mouth before standing back again. Nicole made a noise low in her throat, a growl, and it pleased Waverly. 

 

When she stepped forward again, she rested two hands on Nicole’s shoulders and then straddled her lap, allowing Nicole to move her hands.

 

“On my hips,” Waverly instructed. Nicole obeyed.

 

Waverly thrust then, using her grip on Nicole as leverage. She curled herself upward, brushing her crotch against Nicole’s torso. But when Nicole tried to hold her close, Waverly stood, turning her back to Nicole, bending over in her short, leather skirt just out of reach of Nicole’s hands. 

 

“Do you want me?” She asked, spinning, gripping the loose knot that held the bottom of her shirt in place. 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you wet for me?” 

 

“Yes.” Nicole was gripping the chair. The muscle in her jaw twitched. 

 

Waverly reached for the small button holding her shirt in place. She never broke eye contact with Nicole as she popped it, letting the fabric fall open to reveal a lacy, black bra that made Nicole’s pupils dilate.

 

“Is this what you want?” Waverly asked, cupping her breasts, swaying her hips in time to the wisp of a melody and the crash of ocean waves they could both hear through the screened window. 

 

Nicole could only nod. She visibly squirmed in the chair. Waverly felt as though she could lift a car over her head, as though she could pull the sky down, as though she could take apart the woman sitting in front of her with just a thought. 

 

Dropping the shirt on the floor, Waverly approached Nicole again, pushing her chest into Nicole’s face and smiling softly when Nicole ducked her head between Waverly’s breasts and inhaled.

 

“Patience,” Waverly said, rolling her torso and pulling back again. Nicole whined, her body arched forward on the chair. 

The bra was gone with a quick flick of her fingers, but she dangled it in front of Nicole, just out of reach, and then tossed it on the floor.

 

“Jesus, Waverly, _please_ …”

 

Nicole was begging. She was _begging_. And Waverly felt herself throb. 

 

She reached for the zipper of her skirt next, still swaying her hips, careful to roll her shoulders and let Nicole watch her breasts bounce at the movement. The sound of Waverly’s zipper broke the hypnotic rhythm of the waves and Nicole looked like she wanted to cry, her mouth shaped in a perfect, round, “o” as Waverly slowly lowered the leather down her hips.

 

Waverly had decided to skip the panties earlier in the evening, but Nicole didn’t know until this very second, until Waverly stood before her, naked, dipping down to touch the floor and then back up.

 

She turned again, her back to Nicole, and all the grace of her former cheerleading career came back to her as she stepped and twirled and reached up to brush her hair from her face. And it was only when she had turned around again, it was only when she was facing Nicole, did she realize that her girlfriend had taken matters into her own hands. 

 

Nicole was leaning back into the chair, legs spread, and Waverly did not need to guess what she was doing with her right hand. She couldn’t see it, but it was very clearly down the front of her shorts, while her left was balled into a fist on her thigh. 

 

This time it was Waverly who wanted to cry out. She stood naked, watching, and suddenly she couldn’t remember why she was keeping Nicole at arm’s length. She couldn’t remember why she wasn’t touching her, why she wasn’t taking care of her. All the power she felt was still there, churning, settling below her stomach, but she wanted to share it now, to give it freely. She just wanted Nicole and Nicole so obviously wanted her. 

 

Waverly crossed the small distance and pushed herself onto Nicole’s lap, straddling her hips. She wrapped one arm around Nicole’s shoulders for leverage and with her free hand she circled Nicole’s right wrist, stilling the frantic movements in her shorts. 

 

“Don’t go,” Waverly whispered, pressing her cheek to Nicole’s, “not without me.” 

 

Nicole stilled and turned her head so she could kiss Waverly, so she could drag her mouth against Waverly’s lips and flick her tongue against the sensitive skin she found there. 

 

“Never without you,” she said, and Waverly suddenly felt two sticky fingers against her thigh. She found Nicole’s throat, pressing hot, open mouthed kisses there, and then reared up a little so she could hold Nicole’s head to her, so she could cradle it to her shoulder where she could feel Nicole panting heavily. 

 

“Take me,” Waverly said, kissing the crown of auburn waves she held preciously in her arms. 

 

Nicole’s arms tightened around Waverly, one around her back, the other under her ass, strong and steady. It surprised Waverly when a second later, Nicole stood in one fluid motion, holding Waverly to her body effortlessly. 

 

It was easy to forget Nicole’s physical strength. She didn’t _look_ as physically strong as Dolls or Doc, but underneath her uniform, Waverly knew the muscled biceps could keep up with any lizard or immortal gunslinger. Waverly felt safe in Nicole’s arms, she felt sheltered and invincible as her girlfriend carried her to the bed. 

 

She also felt in control, she always did, even if Nicole was taking the lead, even when she willingly gave up her control to Nicole, there was never a moment of doubt that Waverly still held all the power inside. It was how it worked between them, it was how it would always be. They each gave of themselves without giving anything away unwillingly. They each received with the knowledge of the gift they’d been given. And every time Nicole nodded, every time Nicole’s inhaled when Waverly did the same, it ignited whatever it was that had brought them together in this life and all the lives that had come before. 

 

So when Nicole carefully laid Waverly on the bed, when she quickly shed her tank top and shorts and stood above Waverly, breathless and wet in the moonlight, Waverly said the only thing there was left to say.

 

“I’m yours.”

 

It flipped a switch in Nicole, it set a path. Waverly reached for her partner and Nicole climbed on top of her, settling between Waverly’s spread legs. She squirmed a bit, trying to find the perfect position, and then they aligned and Waverly dragged her nails down Nicole’s back, claiming the woman on top of her with each scratch, each crescent moon imprint that served as a kiss, and a touch, and an _I love you_. 

 

Nicole thrust down, once and then again, and her hands held Waverly’s above her head, not in submission, but as an assurance. The moved against each other, the friction overwhelming, and Waverly couldn’t stop her own hips from meeting Nicole’s. They kissed sloppily, openly, a mess of tongues and teeth, but neither cared, they just wanted to feel, to come undone together, to reaffirm every word they’d ever said in promise to each other. 

 

“Baby, you make me feel so good,” Waverly said, knowing how much Nicole liked to hear it, meaning every single word. 

 

They were both so close, both so slippery and wanton and Waverly could feel Nicole’s nipples brush against her, could feel the hot press of a rib cage and lungs and a thudding heart. 

 

“Only you,” Waverly moaned, raising her head to catch anything she could, Nicole’s lips, her cheek, her chin, “fuck, only you.”

 

“ _Mine_ ,” Nicole said and Waverly couldn’t tell if it was a question or a statement. It didn’t matter. 

 

“Every inch,” Waverly thrust up, locking one leg behind Nicole’s thigh. It opened her wider, a hard clit brushed against her own own and she wondered briefly if her lungs would give out. She didn’t care.

 

“All of me,” she said, tripping on her words when Nicole ducked her head down to lick Waverly’s breast.

 

“There, that’s yours,” Waverly stuttered, “and this…” 

 

She pressed down again on Nicole’s ass, bringing them impossible closer, letting Nicole know what she meant by _this_. It was dizzying and empowering to give, it was dizzying and empowering to know that what she gave was also still hers, that her words were true and her words were her own and her body belonged to _them_. 

 

Waverly felt dizzy, she felt the muscles in her legs spasm, and when Nicole suddenly reared up, moaning with her eyes slammed shut, Waverly let herself feel every wet, warm, slippery inch of their union and released. She called out for Nicole, called out some version of her name, and Nicole responded in kind, thrusting again and again, each time with a little less grace, each time with shaking hips, and out of sync pressure, and it was all Waverly could do to stay conscious when she felt herself come again as Nicole’s wetness spread between her own legs. 

 

It was hard to breathe, her head was fuzzy and if she hadn’t been lying down, her head would have rolled awkwardly, her neck incapable of holding its weight. But instead she sunk into the pillow, reaching for Nicole who had collapsed on top of her. She felt Nicole’s face slide into her throat, felt the warmth of tears on her neck, and smiled a little into the messy, red hair beneath her chin.

 

The woman in her arms was such a wonderful contrast. Her brave, proud police officer girlfriend could also be sensitive and soft and Waverly knew that the tears were just an outpouring of how overwhelmed they were. Sometimes it was like that between them. Sometimes it all felt so _big_ , so beyond expectation, that they could only hold each other after and try to gather up all scattered pieces. 

 

“It’s never enough,” Nicole whispered into the safety of Waverly’s body, “I want you so badly, all the time…”

 

“I love you,” Waverly whispered back, knowing exactly how Nicole felt. 

 

Nicole’s tears were soon replaced with her lips and Waverly giggled when she was suddenly flipped onto her side.

 

“Hi, you,” she said, smiling at Nicole who took her hands and kissed her knuckles. 

 

“Hey.”

 

“You are so beautiful when you cum,” Waverly said and Nicole blushed profusely and let go of Waverly’s hands so she could hide behind her own.

 

“Oh my God, Waves, you can’t just say that!”

 

“Yes, I can.” 

 

Nicole laughed, shaking her head against the pillow.

 

“I _do_ kind of like when you’re a dirty girl.” She lowered her hands and shot Waverly a sly grin.

 

“Oh?”

 

“Mmmhmmm.” Nicole darted her arms forward and pulled Waverly closer to her. 

 

“Well, if you insist, _Officer_ Haught,” Waverly said, giggling against Nicole’s mouth.

 

And then Nicole rolled Waverly over and from her vantage point above, looking down at her smiling girlfriend, Waverly decided she liked being a dirty girl too. 

 

~*~

 

The water was warmed, heated by the sunlight, and it took Waverly a second to remember that she had a snorkel in her mouth, as she called out.

 

“Nicole!” She sputtered, “Clown fish! Look!” 

 

Waverly ducked her face into the water again, looking down in awe at the school of tropical fish fluttering around her legs. There was coral, rainbows of coral, and their tour guide had dropped a starfish right into her hand - which she was fairly sure was against conservation laws - but a _starfish_ in _her hand_. 

 

A set of pale legs appeared in her line of vision and she popped out of the water again, unable to keep her squeal inside.

 

“Babe, it’s amazing!”

 

“It really is,” Nicole said, her snorkel bouncing against her cheek as she spoke. The look in her eyes was dreamy and she gazed solely at Waverly as she spoke and the whole thing was romantic and wonderful and Waverly wanted to jump out of her skin she was so excited. 

 

They climbed back aboard the small excursion boat and took their place on one of the benches built into the side of the vessel. Waverly slipped her goggles over her head and leaned against the boat, comfortable as Nicole’s arm wrapped around her back, protecting her from the sharp, wooden edge, protruding from the well-used craft. 

 

It was a snorkel company that specialized in queer friendly travel and Waverly looked at their fellow travellers. An older lesbians couple holding hands, two young, gay men, sharing a bottle of beer and secret smiles. It felt nice to squeeze Nicole’s thigh and not worry about anyone make a face or, worse, saying something hateful. Purgatory could be difficult for them and even though Waverly never hid her love for Nicole, it was freeing not to have to think twice about touching Nicole in public. 

 

As they headed further from shore, Waverly took a moment to take in her surroundings, the blue of the ocean and the warm, sun-kissed feel of Nicole’s skin. Nicole’s eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, but she looked so at home on the little boat, so comfortable amongst the snorkel gear and the ropes. 

 

Waverly could swim - she’d learned in the local pool and the small watering hole just outside of town, but the ocean was something different. She’d been nervous to enter, a little frightened of the vast, unending waves, but Nicole took to the water like it was part of her soul, like some mythical silkie finally coming home. It was beautiful, but it made Waverly a little self-conscious. Shae had been an adventurer. Waverly had made it to level five of _Tomb Raider_ before Champ took over and refused to let her play.

 

“Do you wish you had time to scuba dive?” Waverly asked, wondering if this was all a bit amateur for her girlfriend.

 

“Oh, we’re totally getting you certified on our next trip,” Nicole said, squeezing Waverly’s shoulder.

 

“You could’ve gone without me.”

 

Nicole lowered her sunglasses. Between the sexy shades and the blue bikini, Nicole Haught was a situation that Waverly could never quite get over. 

 

“No way!” 

 

“Honestly, Babe, I don’t want to hold you back,” Waverly said, recalling all the times that Champ had left her at home so he could go off and do whatever it was that he did. 

 

“Waverly Earp, why would I want to leave your side? Have you seen _you_?” 

 

A pair of dark eyebrows wiggled suggestively and Waverly laughed. 

 

~*~ 

 

They were much further out when the motor stopped and the guide dropped anchor. Waverly and Nicole were the first off the boat and again, Waverly followed Nicole’s lead, adjusting her mask and dipping her face in the water. She concentrated on her breathing and kept her eye on the skyline. The water was colder here and she couldn’t see the shore clearly. Waverly’s heart beat loudly in her ear. She was nervous. 

 

Nicole swam just ahead of her, but she soon paused and turned to look expectantly in Waverly’s direction.

 

“You okay?” She asked.

 

“What? Oh, me? Yes! Of course! Totally fine! In the middle of a very large body of water where there are sharks and jellyfish and that thing that killed Steve Irwin, which by the way, I am _not_ over, but…”

 

“Waves?” Nicole’s smile was soft, indulgent. 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Just…look down, okay? At your feet.” 

 

Waverly was a little hesitant at first, but she obeyed, making sure her goggles and mouthpiece were secure. At first all she saw were her flippers, gently drifting back and forth under the water. But as she looked at her own feet, she realized something, something big, something she had almost forgotten.

 

She couldn’t see the bottom. At all. It was just blue and then darkness. 

 

_To swim far, far out into the ocean so I can’t see the bottom anymore_.

 

Her first instinct was to reach for Nicole, to grab hold of her and swim for safety. It was scary to feel so small, but then, as she watched herself tread water, as she watched the movement of her legs, she realized that she didn’t need to grab Nicole. That she could do this on her own. That she could stare down into an abyss and hold herself up.

 

There was a difference between want and need. She didn’t need rescuing, she could rescue herself. But in that moment, she wanted more than anything to hold Nicole’s hand, to face the abyss together. She didn’t _need_. She _wanted_. 

 

Waverly had never felt such freedom. Such clarity. She had never felt so in control of her own destiny. 

 

She took another second to look, to really, really look, and then she lifted her head, raised her goggles, and found Nicole’s eyes.

 

“You remembered,” she said, reaching out her hand.

 

Nicole nodded slowly, the sun making her eyes sparkle honey-brown. 

 

Waverly found Nicole’s hand and locked their fingers together. And then she swam closer, wrapping Nicole into a hard embrace. They grappled with each other for a moment, trying to squeeze impossibly closer, and finally Waverly settled, her face pressed into Nicole shoulder. The ocean carried them, it held them and surrounded them, and they stayed locked together in its caress. 

 

“Thank you,” Waverly whispered, smelling the salt on Nicole’s skin. 

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

~*~

 

A strangled gasp broke the silence of their hotel room. Waverly fought off sleep, confused by the sudden interruption, but somehow aware that she needed to wake up. She turned and groaned a little, forcing herself to open her eyes and adjust to the darkness.

 

She could hear the ocean, the omnipresent _fwoosh_ of the waves hitting the shore and receding, but it was not responsible for her interrupted sleep. Just when she wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing, Nicole violently rolled over, crying out as she did. A wild arm hit Waverly’s shoulder and it was only then that Waverly noticed that her girlfriend was drenched in sweat, clutching a pillow, a silent scream trapped in her open mouth.

 

“Nicole,” Waverly immediately grabbed Nicole’s bicep, careful not to jostle her too violently. 

 

“Baby, you’re okay, wake up for me,” she said, pressing a comforting hand to Nicole’s chest. Nicole’s heart was racing, she was gasping for breath, but Waverly could see by the movement beneath her eyelids that she was regaining consciousness. 

 

“Hi, hey, Nicole, love?” 

 

Wide eyes opened and the terror quickly faded into confusion. 

 

“Waverly?” Nicole’s voice was hoarse, but she looked around the room as if she’d never seen it before. And then she followed the path of Waverly’s hand on her chest, up her arm, and finally to her face. 

 

“Nightmare?” Waverly asked, somewhat concerned by Nicole’s confusion.

 

“I don’t…my dad…” Nicole trailed off, inhaling deeply.

 

“Want to talk about it?”

 

Nicole shook her head and sat up, dislodging Waverly’s hand.

 

“I don’t remember. Honest.” 

 

She looked so lost and so vulnerable, Waverly let her questions fade. Instead she hopped out of bed and crossed to Nicole’s side.

 

“Arms up, please,” she said, pulling Nicole’s drenched tank top over her head. Waverly disappeared to the bathroom for a second and returned with towels, one dry, and one damp. She patted Nicole down with the cold washcloth, humming to herself a little as she cleaned up her girl and washed away all evidence of the nightmare.

 

“Sorry, this is so not sexy,” Nicole said, a little sheepish as Waverly handed her the dry towel.

 

“You? Half naked and sweaty? That’s just about the sexiest thing ever!” Waverly kissed Nicole’s forehead and paused when she felt Nicole pull her in for a hug. 

 

“Want to see something amazing?” Nicole’s voice drifted from where her face was pressed against Waverly’s chest and Waverly smiled into Nicole’s hair. She took a second to look down, to trace the pale lines of Nicole’s body, to stroke the strong shoulders and biceps. She was already looking at something amazing. 

 

“Yes,” was all she said before Nicole stood up and took her hand.

 

~*~

 

The beach was deserted, free from the tourists who used it daily, and all Waverly could see for miles was the ocean and the sky. Nicole had pulled a beach chair onto the sand and they sat, curled up against each other, Waverly leaning back against Nicole’s chest and Nicole’s arms wrapped protectively around Waverly’s middle. Nicole had also managed to bring five towels with her and they were carefully draped over Waverly’s feet and her lap and her shoulders, lest she get cold. 

 

The sky wasn’t quite black, there were hints of purple and blue and the air smelled like salt and sand and life.

 

“You ready to go home?” Nicole asked. Waverly tilted her head back, resting against Nicole’s shoulder. She didn’t want to say “yes,” she didn’t want Nicole to think that their vacation hadn’t been the most wonderful experience, but the truth was, she _was_ ready to go home. She needed to. 

 

“You miss your sister,” Nicole provided the answer for her, but there was no annoyance in her voice. 

 

“I do,” Waverly said and Nicole squeezed her into a tighter embrace. Wynonna was volatile and driven and Waverly didn’t feel quite whole unless Wynonna was nearby. The Ghost River Triangle held many secrets and many stories, but it was also where Alice Michelle had come into the world. It was _their_ home. And more than anything, Waverly wanted Alice Michelle back. Being away from the Ghost River Triangle only prolonged her absence. It prolonged the fight. 

 

“And you miss Jeremy,” Nicole lightly pinched Waverly’s hip, earning her a giggle. 

 

“We’re marathoning _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ next week. He said it’s important for my education.”

 

“Of course, makes sense.”

 

“You miss Nedley, don’t you?” Waverly asked and she could feel Nicole smile against her temple.

 

“He’s going to miss feeding Calamity Jane everyday. The Old Man loves that silly cat.” 

 

“This has been incredible, Nicole,” Waverly turned a little so she could kiss Nicole. She managed to brush her lips against Nicole’s cheek. 

 

“Baby, look.” Nicole was pointing out, over the water, and Waverly watched as the sky changed again. The blues and purples had given way to something more vibrant and Waverly could just make out the beginnings of the sun as it rose. It started as nothing more than a glowing spark, a small orb of light over the water, but as the two women sat in silence, it grew larger and larger, the sky embracing it with oranges and yellows and gold. 

 

Waverly knew she was watching the earth turn, she knew she was watching the movement of time, but she felt still and safe in Nicole’s arms. They were watching together. They were moving through time _together_. 

 

Long after the first tourist arrived at the beach, setting up chairs and umbrellas and a cooler, long after the silence was broken by squealing children and anxious parents, Waverly and Nicole stayed locked in each other’s arms. Staring out towards the horizon, knowing that its endless possibilities were theres for the taking, that together they would see the sun rise and fall and rise again. That even in the darkness, they would wait for the light. 

 

And if that light did not come, if the dark rose up, they would find the light within, together. Always. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. As we gear up for season 3, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your support during the hiatus. As always, your comments mean the world. I read each and every one. If you could take a short second to leave on? Well, I'd be much obliged, as Doc would say.
> 
> If you're heading to Eh Con this year, be sure to check out the fan fiction panel (yours truly will be chatting with some amazing fellow authors!). Come say hello on Twitter (@WrackWonder)!!!
> 
> Happy, Season 3, Earpers! Love to you all.
> 
> Lyrics from "Cry To Me" by Solomon Burke.


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